Interior Rating:

The 4Runner’s interior is not what you’d call state-of-the-art, with switchgear that could have come from the latter years of the last millennium. Lackluster materials and styling aside, the 4Runner is comfortable and spacious.

What’s New for 2018?

There’s one tiny update to the 4Runner’s interior offerings this year: buyers who choose the Wilderness package, available in SR5, SR5 Premium, TRD Off-Road, and TRD Off-Road Premium trims, will get all-weather floor mats and a cargo tray in the bargain.

2017 Toyota 4Runner

Interior Space Comparisons

By the numbers, the 4Runner is one of the most cramped vehicles in this class, but in practice, first- and second-row passengers should be comfortable even on long journeys. We haven’t tested the optional third row, but we suspect that, as with nearly every other third row on the market, it’s best for children.

Front-Passenger Space

Our 6' tester demonstrates how easy it is to enter and exit the driver’s seat of the 4Runner.

Second-Row Passenger Space

Our 6' tester demonstrates how easy it is to enter the 4Runner’s back seat. It also shows how much kneeroom there is when the driver’s seat is adjusted for a 6' driver.

Third-Row Passenger Space

Interior Features

Creature comforts such as a heated steering wheel and heated and cooled rear seats are not available in the 4Runner, despite its relatively high starting price, but we’re glad to see optional heated and cooled front seats in the Limited trim. The interior design and layout feels of another era, and plastic is the currency of the realm in the 4Runner. The standard fabric seats are comfortable, while Limited models have leather in all three rows.

Feature

Standard/Optional

Tilting steering column

Standard

Telescoping steering column

Standard

Power-adjustable steering column

Not Available

Heated steering wheel

Not Available

Power-adjustable pedals

Not Available

Memory driver’s seat

Optional

Massaging driver’s seat

Not Available

Massaging front-passenger seat

Not Available

Power driver’s seat

Standard

Power front-passenger seat

Optional

Heated front seats

Optional

Heated rear seats

Not Available

Cooled front seats

Optional

Cooled rear seats

Not Available

Head-up display

Not Available

Rear-seat entertainment system

Not Available

Seat Adjustments

2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road

Fore/Aft

Recline

Shoulder articulation

Lumbar support

Height

Thigh support

Side bolster

Headrest tilt

Driver’s seat

X

X

X

X

Front-passen-ger seat

X

X

Climate Control

2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road

Manual climate control

Automatic climate control

Dedicated vent(s)

First Row

One-zone

No

Yes

Second Row

No

No

Yes

Cupholder Location

Vehicle Tested: 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road

Interior Sound Level

Modern cabins do an excellent job of insulating passengers from ambient noise, but none can completely eliminate the sharp sound of the wind and the drone of tire noise when you’re traveling at highway speed. To measure the interior sound-pressure level, we use a Brüel & Kjær Type 2250-L sound meter, which we position in the middle of the first row of seats at the height of the driver’s ear. The meter automatically averages 15 seconds of sound in A-weighted decibels (dBA), taken while the test car is cruising at 70 mph. (A-weighting is an industry standard that adjusts decibel readings to better reflect how the human ear hears various frequencies.) We take two measurements and average the results. We also correct for speedometer inaccuracies with our GPS-based data loggers. It is worth noting that decibels are a logarithmic unit, so a rating of 40 decibels isn’t twice the sound pressure of 20 decibels; it is 10 times the sound pressure. A six-decibel increase roughly doubles the sound pressure.

Test Results: Interior Sound Levels at 70 mph

Seating and Step-In Height

True to its SUV roots, the driver sits high off the ground in the 4Runner. That coveted trait comes with one major tradeoff—running boards are optional in every trim level, and without them it’s quite a hike up to the cabin. To accurately measure seating height—the distance from the road to the driver’s hip—we use an H-Point Machine (HPM), a precisely engineered device marketed by SAE International. This versatile tool, in conjunction with a laser device, reveals the width and location of roof-pillar visibility obstructions (blind spots). Our HPM and laser measurement tools determine the length of road obscured by the hood as well as the road obscured by the trunk or hatch (as seen through the rearview mirror).

Test Results: Seating Height

Test Results: Step-In Height

Blind Spots, Visibility, and Obscured Roadway

The 4Runner’s boxy design, large windows, and high vantage point contribute to good outward visibility and few significant blind spots.

Roof pillars protect occupants in a rollover crash, but they also create blind spots. We determine visibility by measuring the location and width of each pillar using an H-Point Machine and a laser beam (surrogates for a driver and eyeball, respectively). Front and rear visibility are calculated by subtracting the viewable area blocked by the pillars from a perfect 180-degree score.

The Best and Others to Consider

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$33,105

Compare

Putting zoom-zoom charisma into a three-row crossover is no easy feat, but Mazda does it with the CX-9—earning it a 2018 10Best award.

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$31,675

Compare

Like its namesake, the Volkswagen Atlas can carry the world on its shoulders—figuratively speaking.

The Editors' Rating summarizes a vehicle's overall degree of excellence and is determined by our editors, who evaluate hundreds of vehicles every year and consider numerous factors both objective and subjective.

Price Starting at

$64,090

Compare

The masterminds at SRT are at it again, this time applying the go-fast treatment to the three-row Durango.